Almost everything you've read about formatting pictures for Kindle is wrong. The advice offered by Kindle experts and even Amazon itself can give images that are tiny, blocky, noisy, or wildly inconsistent on different Kindles. Aaron Shepard, author of acclaimed books on both Kindle and print publishing, brings his years of experience in book design, webmastering, and photography to bear on a single question: How do you make pictures look great on the Kindle? He answers that question, while also providing beginners a basic course in picture editing. Along the way, he discusses how to keep Microsoft Word from sneakily degrading your pictures; how to adjust HTML code to show images at their best; how to make part of a picture transparent against colored backgrounds; how to boost the power of your cover image as a marketing tool; and how to create anything from children's books to photography books to poetry books within minutes with the Kindle Comic Creator. Nowhere else will you find such in-depth info on working with Kindle images. Whatever kind you're using -- photos, paintings, drawings, diagrams, tables, screenshots -- you'll find -Pictures on Kindle- an essential guide. ///////////////////////////////////////////////// Aaron Shepard is a foremost proponent of the new business of profitable self publishing, which he has practiced and helped develop since 1998. He is the author of -Aiming at Amazon, - -POD for Profit, - -Perfect Pages, - and -From Word to Kindle, - Amazon's #1 bestselling paid book on Kindle formatting. ///////////////////////////////////////////////// REVIEWS -Far and away the best resource I know for self publishers who plan to include photos or other graphics in their Kindle books. From tips on taking photos, through sizing, optimizing, and placing, this book wastes no space in giving you exactly the information you need. Highly recommended.- -- Joel Friedlander, TheBookDesigner.com -A detailed, comprehensive guide to getting the best out of your images on Kindle. From taking photos, to scanning, to optimizing, Aaron covers every possible step in making sure your images display well in Kindle format. In addition, he provides very useful explanations of the Kindle's image handling, for those of us who like to understand the reasons behind the steps. I for one will be adding this to my list of reference materials.- -- Jim Brown, JimandZetta.com (ebook services) ///////////////////////////////////////////////// CONTENTS Getting Started 1 PICTURE BASICS File Formats Resolution Color Mode Color Space 2 PICTURE SOURCES Photography Scanning 3 PICTURE EDITING Cleanup and Repair Cropping Contrast, Brightness, Tint Sizing Sharpening Transparency Lines and Letters 4 PICTURE HANDLING Positioning Pictures in Word Pictures in HTML Fixed Format 5 PICTURE PUBLISHING Submitting and Previewing Cover Images Production FAQ

    Kubernetes in Action, Second Edition is a fully-updated and comprehensive guide to developing and running applications in a Kubernetes environment.Kubernetes is an essential tool for anyone deploying and managing cloud-native applications. It lays out a complete introduction to container technologies and containerized applications along with practical tips for efficient deployment and operation. This revised edition of the bestselling Kubernetes in Action contains new coverage of the Kubernetes architecture, including the Kubernetes API, and a deep dive into managing a Kubernetes cluster in production. In Kubernetes in Action, Second Edition, you'll start with an overview of how Docker containers work with Kubernetes and move quickly to building your first cluster. You'll gradually expand your initial application, adding features and deepening your knowledge of Kubernetes architecture and operation. As you navigate this comprehensive guide, you'll also appreciate thorough coverage of high-value topics like monitoring, tuning, and scaling. Purchase of the print book includes a free eBook in PDF, Kindle, and ePub formats from Manning Publications.

    It is offered for sale in print format as a convenience.Get a head start evaluating Windows 8.1 - with early technical insights from award-winning journalist and Windows expert Ed Bott. Based on the Windows 8.1 Preview release, this guide introduces new features and capabilities, with scenario-based advice on how Windows 8.1 can meet the needs of your business. Get the high-level overview you need to begin preparing your deployment now.Preview new features and enhancements, including:How features compare to Windows 7 and Windows XP The Windows 8.1 user experience Deployment Security features Internet Explorer 11 Delivering Windows apps Recovery options Networking and remote access Managing mobile devices Virtualization Windows RT 8.1

    The Web is awash in Ruby code that is now virtually impossible to change or extend. This text helps you solve that problem by using powerful real-world object-oriented design techniques, which it thoroughly explains using simple and practical Ruby examples. Sandi Metz has distilled a lifetime of conversations and presentations about object-oriented design into a set of Ruby-focused practices for crafting manageable, extensible, and pleasing code. She shows you how to build new applications that can survive success and repair existing applications that have become impossible to change. Each technique is illustrated with extended examples, all downloadable from the companion Web site, poodr.info. The first title to focus squarely on object-oriented Ruby application design, Practical Object-Oriented Design in Ruby will guide you to superior outcomes, whatever your previous Ruby experience. Novice Ruby programmers will find specific rules to live by; intermediate Ruby programmers will find valuable principles they can flexibly interpret and apply; and advanced Ruby programmers will find a common language they can use to lead development and guide their colleagues. This guide will help you Understand how object-oriented programming can help you craft Ruby code that is easier to maintain and upgrade Decide what belongs in a single Ruby class Avoid entangling objects that should be kept separate Define flexible interfaces among objects Reduce programming overhead costs with duck typing Successfully apply inheritance Build objects via composition Design cost-effective tests Solve common problems associated with poorly designed Ruby code

    With this hands-on reference, you'll focus on implementation rather than theory, and discover why the RESTful method is far better than technologies like CORBA and SOAP. It's easy to get started with services based on the REST architecture. RESTful Java with JAX-RS includes a technical guide that explains REST and JAX-RS, how they work, and when to use them. With the RESTEasy workbook that follows, you get step-by-step instructions for installing, configuring, and running several working JAX-RS examples using the JBoss RESTEasy implementation of JAX-RS.Work on the design of a distributed RESTful interface, and develop it in Java as a JAX-RS serviceDispatch HTTP requests in JAX-RS, and learn how to extract information from themDeploy your web services within Java Enterprise Edition using the Application class, Default Component Model, EJB Integration, Spring Integration, and JPADiscover several options for securing your web servicesLearn how to implement RESTful design patterns using JAX-RSWrite RESTful clients in Java using libraries and frameworks such as java.net.URL, Apache HTTP Client, and RESTEasy Proxy

    As they helped grow Google from a young start-up to a global icon, they relearned everything they knew about management. How Google Works is the sum of those experiences distilled into a fun, easy-to-read primer on corporate culture, strategy, talent, decision-making, communication, innovation, and dealing with disruption.The authors explain how the confluence of three seismic changes - the internet, mobile, and cloud computing - has shifted the balance of power from companies to consumers. The companies that will thrive in this ever-changing landscape will be the ones that create superior products and attract a new breed of multifaceted employees whom the authors dub 'smart creatives'. The management maxims ('Consensus requires dissension', 'Exile knaves but fight for divas', 'Think 10X, not 10%') are illustrated with previously unreported anecdotes from Google's corporate history.'Back in 2010, Eric and I created an internal class for Google managers,' says Rosenberg. 'The class slides all read 'Google confidential' until an employee suggested we uphold the spirit of openness and share them with the world. This book codifies the recipe for our secret sauce: how Google innovates and how it empowers employees to succeed.'

    In this book, we'll will walk you through installing, deploying, managing, and extending Docker. We're going to do that by first introducing you to the basics of Docker and its components. Then we'll start to use Docker to build containers and services to perform a variety of tasks. We're going to take you through the development life cycle, from testing to production, and see where Docker fits in and how it can make your life easier. We'll make use of Docker to build test environments for new projects, demonstrate how to integrate Docker with continuous integration workflow, and then how to build application services and platforms. Finally, we'll show you how to use Docker's API and how to extend Docker yourself. We'll teach you how to: * Install Docker. * Take your first steps with a Docker container. * Build Docker images. * Manage and share Docker images. * Run and manage more complex Docker containers. * Deploy Docker containers as part of your testing pipeline. * Build multi-container applications and environments. * Explore the Docker API. * Getting Help and Extending Docker.

    Starting with basic examples, this book is focused solely on Java 8 language changes and related API changes, so you don’t need to buy and read a 900 page book in order to brush up. Lambdas make a programmer's job easier, and this book will teach you how. Coverage includes introductory syntax for lambda expressions, method references that allow you to reuse existing named methods from your codebase, and the collection library in Java 8.

    – President Barack Obama calls America’s alliance with Israel “unshakeable.” The Masada Complex questions this assertion with a realistic political thriller taking place in Arizona, Washington and Jerusalem.The Masada Complex unveils a chilling scenario. Its hero is Masada El-Tal, a beautiful Israeli expatriate, currently an investigative reporter in Arizona. Her exposure of a bribe payment causes a disgraced U.S. senator to commit suicide. Angered by Israel’s supposed culpability, an angry Congress moves to terminate all military aid to the Jewish state. At the same time, someone repeatedly attempts to assassinate Masada, whose relentless investigation becomes a race against time, leading to a shocking discovery and a spectacular climax.

    As more and more businesses seek to tame the massive unbounded data sets that pervade our world, streaming systems have finally reached a level of maturity sufficient for mainstream adoption. With this practical guide, data engineers, data scientists, and developers will learn how to work with streaming data in a conceptual and platform-agnostic way.Expanded from Tyler Akidau's popular blog posts Streaming 101 and Streaming 102, this book takes you from an introductory level to a nuanced understanding of the what, where, when, and how of processing real-time data streams. You'll also dive deep into watermarks and exactly-once processing with co-authors Slava Chernyak and Reuven Lax.You'll explore:How streaming and batch data processing patterns compareThe core principles and concepts behind robust out-of-order data processingHow watermarks track progress and completeness in infinite datasetsHow exactly-once data processing techniques ensure correctnessHow the concepts of streams and tables form the foundations of both batch and streaming data processingThe practical motivations behind a powerful persistent state mechanism, driven by a real-world exampleHow time-varying relations provide a link between stream processing and the world of SQL and relational algebra

    The Lean Startup movement is very promising, but for many teams it ends up translating into an important question: ”Yeah, but what to build ?” “In ThoughtWorks, our response has been a process called an inception. We gather together a good sample of the people who will be affected by the product and have an intensive session to set an initial direction, using a series of exercises focusing on collaboration and the capture of broad goals. We don't attempt a detailed specification, as that is exactly the kind of thing that becomes out of date as soon as code hits production. But we do want to understand what kind of outcomes we are hoping for, the features that we think will drive these outcomes, and how to assess the effectiveness of our product. With The Lean Inception, Paulo has captured his experience in running these inceptions over the last decade. In particular it's focused on his work to boil the inception down to its essence, concentrating the activity on a single, if very intensive, week of work. Paulo shares how he makes this work, through writing a product vision, capturing personas, understanding the user journeys, and developing high-level features. The result isn't a detailed plan of work, which we find quickly rots into irrelevance. It is a guiding set of goals to set us off in the right direction. It doesn't plan out a final product, with all the features that our users will need, instead it focuses on an initial product that we can release and learn from - the Minimum Viable Product. “ – Martin Fowler, Chief Cientist at ThoughtWorks

    But, as Mandi Walls explains in this Velocity report, DevOps is really about changing company culture—replacing traditional development and operations silos with collaborative teams of people from both camps. The DevOps movement has produced some efficient teams turning out better products faster. The tough part is initiating the change. This report outlines strategies for managers looking to go beyond tools to build a DevOps culture among their technical staff. Topics include: Documenting reasons for changing to DevOps before you commit Defining meaningful and achievable goals Finding a technical leader to be an evangelist, tools and process expert, and shepherd Starting with a non-critical but substantial pilot project Facilitating open communication among developers, QA engineers, marketers, and other professionals Realigning your team’s responsibilities and incentives Learning when to mediate disagreements and conflicts Download this free report and learn how to the DevOps approach can help you create a supportive team environment built on communication, respect, and trust. Mandi Walls is a Senior Consultant with Opscode.

    You'll learn how to write web services from scratch and integrate existing services into your Java applications. With Java Web Services: Up and Running, you will:Understand the distinction between SOAP-based and REST-style services Write, deploy, and consume SOAP-based services in core Java Understand the Web Service Definition Language (WSDL) service contract Recognize the structure of a SOAP message Learn how to deliver Java-based RESTful web services and consume commercial RESTful services Know security requirements for SOAP- and REST-based web services Learn how to implement JAX-WS in various application servers Ideal for students as well as experienced programmers, Java Web Services: Up and Running is the concise guide you need to start working with these technologies right away.

     In the Guide, you'll learn how to: -Use the Ubuntu command line. -Manage users, groups, and file permissions. -Install software on a Ubuntu system, both from the command line and the GUI. -Configure network settings. -Use the vi editor to edit system configuration files. -Install and configure a Samba server for file sharing. -Install SSH for remote system control using public key/private key encryption. -Install a DHCP server for IP address management. -Install a LAMP server. -Install web applications like WordPress and Drupal. -Configure an FTP server. -Manage ebooks. -Convert digital media. -Manage and configure Unity, the default Ubuntu environment. -Manage and halt processes from the command line. -Set up both a VNC server and a client. -Enjoy games on Ubuntu. -And many other topics.

    As traffic volume and data demands increase, these applications become more complicated and brittle, exposing risks and compromising availability. This practical guide shows IT, devops, and system reliability managers how to prevent an application from becoming slow, inconsistent, or downright unavailable as it grows.Scaling isn't just about handling more users; it's also about managing risk and ensuring availability. Author Lee Atchison provides basic techniques for building applications that can handle huge quantities of traffic, data, and demand without affecting the quality your customers expect.In five parts, this book explores:Availability: learn techniques for building highly available applications, and for tracking and improving availability going forwardRisk management: identify, mitigate, and manage risks in your application, test your recovery/disaster plans, and build out systems that contain fewer risksServices and microservices: understand the value of services for building complicated applications that need to operate at higher scaleScaling applications: assign services to specific teams, label the criticalness of each service, and devise failure scenarios and recovery plansCloud services: understand the structure of cloud-based services, resource allocation, and service distribution